If you have been thinking about a trip to the Cypress Hills to catch the wildflower displays, this is shaping up to be a banner summer thanks to ample spring moisture We just got back from a visit to the Centre Block and the West Block of Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park, and we were amazed at how prolific the wildflowers were already – and it’s still quite early in the season. All of the flowers shown on this posting are ones we saw in the past few days.
What Makes the Cypress Hills so Special for Wildflowers
While there are many places to go in Saskatchewan to see wildflowers, Cypress Hills ranks as the best of the best. It’s the diversity of the climates, landscapes, and habitats that make this area unique in the southern prairies. There is everything from lodgepole pine and spruce forest to open mixed grasslands, wetlands, aspen bluffs, wide valleys, and higher altitudes.
This diversity brings a dazzling mix of flowers adapted to these different habitats, with species found in grasslands, boreal forest, and higher alpine regions. Showy flowers abound such as mountain shooting star, pinkish-purple sticky geranium (which were just starting to bloom during our recent visit), lavender-coloured spikes of larkspur, wild bergamot, shubby cinquefoil, and yellow blossoms of golden beans.
Wildflowers Appear at Different Times
The hills are also home to many rare plants such as pine drops, with creamy bell-shaped flowers along a tall red leafless stem. For wild orchid lovers, there is no better place in the Prairies. At least 18 species occur here, some quite rare. Striped coral-root orchid, round-leaved orchid, and the flashy calypso orchid stand out as some of the top finds. Around mid to late-June is often a prime time for many orchids. Flowers bloom at different times, so the displays vary throughout the season.
While wildflowers are everywhere in the hills, the best concentrations we saw in past few days were close to the core area in the Centre Block of Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park, especially along the road to the Lookout Point and Bald Butte. This may change as the season unfolds.
Help Identifying Saskatchewan Wildflowers
For detailed descriptions and photographs of these and over 600 wildlflowers in the province, have a look at the website Saskatchewan Wildflowers. You can search by colour, common name, or Latin name. Native orchids and native carnivorous plants are also profiled on the site.
More Information on the Region
Our go-to source for the latest happenings in the area is Cypress Hills-Grasslands Destination Area. Also see the listing for the park on Tourism Saskatchewan’s website, and on SaskParks website.
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